White Roses (Undertaker x Vincent Phantomhive)

Anticipation

The day had arrived: December 14th, 1885. Undertaker was perhaps the happiest he'd been in his recent years. Then again, the matter at hand was making him worried, more worried than expected. Vincent was married to a woman for over 10 years and had a child with her. The odds of him saying yes were one in a million. Undertaker had to put that behind him. The one thing he asked of Vincent was to not call him something like 'repulsive' or 'wrong'. That was what he wanted at the very least.

His plan was to go to the Phantomhive manor not long after nightfall. That way Vincent could enjoy Ciel's birthday without Undertaker interrupting it, but Vincent would still be awake. At 6:00 pm, he slipped on his gentleman wear, which consisted of the usual garments and a top hat with a skull pin in the band. He styled his lengthy gray hair in a low ponytail and his bangs away from his eyes with two thin, long braids on either side of his temples hanging down. He stepped out of his shop and ventured to the marketplace, a light snowfall dusting his hat with white flakes.

A florist cart was set up in the market, selling plants like lavender and holly, what with Christmas being 11 days away. Looking at the cart, Undertaker noticed a beautiful bouquet of white roses. He was pleasantly surprised to see them being sold at this time of year. He quickly gave the seller a small pouch of coins and accepted the bouquet, tipping his hat to the man and walking down the cobblestone streets.

With the winter solstice in a week, the days were becoming shorter and shorter. So, he immediately mounted his carriage and led his horses out of the London streets and towards the countryside, where the Phantomhive manor resided.

He travelled for about an hour and a half, going up and down small hills on the dirt road the way there. He decided to be leisurely about it. There wasn't a deadline for something like this. Enveloped in his mind, he unconsciously continued directing the coach. His bouquet of roses sat tucked in his lap so it wouldn't fall off of the top of the coach.

Long before the time he grew near, dusk had fallen over the land. The night sky was a sight to behold in the English country. The stars were plentiful and shone bright. Looking in the distance, he noticed part of the sky was darker than the rest and it seemed to be moving. Peering closer, he noticed a warm glow beneath the darkness.

'What is that?' He thought. 'Is that... Fire?' One click in his mind and his stomach churned. The glow was coming from the manor.